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 Swim
Comments: Prior to the race start, the race director said he knew the swim was short, but I never caught what the distance actually was. I marked the start as Deep, because we were in 5 foot water and I'm only 5'2"! :) Even with the short warm-up swim, I was nervous and my heartrate was high. It took a little bit of the swim to get my heartrate controlled. I felt my form was good, but speed was poor. I started near the front of my wave and didn't have any early crowding on the swim. I ran into some crowds at the turns and again in the final few hundred yards. I swam in to the very shallow water even when I saw those around me standing and running through the water. What would you do differently?: I have definitely made progress with my form, but my speed still needs A LOT of work. I need to learn how to control the pre-race jitters and maintain a lower heartrate.  Transition 1
Comments: The transition area was big and split in the middle by a grass/dirt median. I had no problems getting to my bike. Getting socks and bike shoes, helmet and sunglasses on went well. I had to run bike across the median to get to the transition exit. I fumbled getting on bike and getting shoes clipped in. What would you do differently?: Just figure out how to keep speeding up this first transition. I need to work on getting shoes clipped and getting up to speed faster.  Bike
Comments: I went into the race wanting to ride 18.6 mph to finish the course in 1 hour. According to my odometer, the course was just over 19 miles long and I averaged 19 mph; and came in just under an hour. So even at the advertised race distance, I beat my goal of 18.6. I noticed a lot of people drafting and blocking. I ran into one man who started racing against me as I was trying to pass. It was a little disappointing that racers don't follow the race rules, but it didn't hinder my performance. What would you do differently?: Continue to ride my bike to gain strength and agility. I definitely had some gear changing issues, so I need to continue to work on attacking inclines and maintain a smooth gear change. Transition 2
Comments: I had to run across the median with my bike coming back into transition so that slowed me briefly. I dropped my sunglasses when removing my helmet and lost a few seconds retrieving them. I didn't waste time putting on number belt on, and did it on the run. What would you do differently?: Not lose sunglasses when removing helmet.  Run
Comments: I enjoyed the out and back portion of the race because I was talking to everyone running towards me. The portion of the run around the lake got a bit long and boring with no one to talk to. The last aid station on the run was out of water by the time I got to it. I was well hydrated and the run was shady, but I still like to take water at the stations so I was a bit disappointed. I passed a lot of runners on the course, but got passed by two men in the last quarter mile of the race. What would you do differently?: I had a great run! I am finally seeing some speed coming back to my run. Just continue to log miles and return to my old running form. Not let runners pass me. :) Post race
Warm down: Walked to the Circus Tent for water and an orange. There was no Gatorade at the finish which was a bit disappointing because I didn't want plain water. I met up with family, and the Bentons, mmakbenton and benton4, and waited around for awards. There was a problem with the timing system so we had to wait an excrutiatingly long time for results and awards. What limited your ability to perform faster: I am finally seeing some dividends from my training. I had a great race. I need to keep working on speed on the swim and bike. Event comments: I enjoyed the race. The grounds at Callaway Gardens are great. The timing system problem wasn't really something that could be controlled, but making sure there is enough water on the course and Gatorade at the finish would be good. The transition area was a bit strange with the median through the middle of it. I had a great race and I'm glad I stuck around to receive my award. Last updated: 2006-08-18 12:00 AM
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United States
Callaway Gardens
70sF / 0C
Sunny
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = F 30-34
Age Group Rank = 2/15
Drove down to Callaway Gardens on Saturday afternoon and checked into the Mountain Creek Inn. On race morning, woke at 5:30, dressed, loaded car and drove over to the race site. Ate at the pancake breakfast. Unloaded car and made way to transition area and picked up my chip. I had trouble getting my transition set up because I was overthinking everything. I finally sorted everything out and then borrowed a marker from another racer and had Ron bodymark me. They didn't have any bodymarkers at the Transition area, so having a race crew member do it would have meant walking across the parking lot to the finish area. I skipped the walk and had the best bodymarking of any racer! After transition set-up I made way towards beach and met up with fellow BTer's, mmakbenton and benton4.
Short swim from the swim exit over to the swim start. The water was warm, but felt good. I was in the shallow part of the lake, but was amazed at how clear the water was.